WITH the competition to name Whitehill and Bordon’s “new neighbourhood” under way, the leader of the town council has laid his cards on the table.

Whitehill Town Council leader and district councillor Adam Carew said getting the name right was crucial and, while he liked one of the suggestions on offer, criticised an “historically inaccurate” alternative.

The Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company - a joint venture of Taylor Wimpey and Dorchester orchestrating Bordon’s 2,400-home redevelopment - has opened the floor to the public to have their say on the project.

Central to the consultation is the naming of the new neighbourhood and the regeneration company seems to have two favourites in place.

Princes Park (without a possessive apostrophe) and Princess Park - which make reference to Prince Philip Barracks, where a significant portion of the development will take place - appear to be front runners.

But while Mr Carew said he would lean towards Princes Park, he seemed wholly against the idea of calling the new area Princess Park and criticised the regeneration company for suggesting it as an option.

He said: “Place shaping is so important, it needs to refer to our heritage, in this case our 19th and 20th Century military heritage, whilst moving on from the fact that this year with the garrison’s departure we are no longer really an Army town (although a few service families will remain), and needs to forge our own positive new identity.

“Prince Philip Park would be more accurate, just as we have Alexandra Park named after Princess Alexandra. I don’t see how anyone can call this Prin-cess Park as it’s historically inaccurate and I am a little surprised Taylor Wimpey have provided that as an alternative without discussing the options with local councillors or the heritage society first.

“But Princes Park really does have a certain ring to it and would be my preferred option out of the two for this exciting new area of town.

“As an historian of local place names I feel strongly that every effort needs to be made to get these right - they are critical in shaping a community and providing the town with a sense of its own local heritage and identity. They need to be historically accurate, relevant to our area and sound uplifting, especially if we wish the area to become a destination for shopping. I think Princes Park does this.”

Residents now have until the end of October to get their suggestions in for a name and James Child, the project lead of the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company, has said public engagement is welcomed.

“I would urge residents to get involved now and make their views known,” Mr Carew added.

“If they have any alternatives, such as a reference to our Army heritage or relating to Woolmer Forest (from which Whitehill and Bordon were carved), I am sure James Child and Taylor Wimpey would be delighted to hear them.

“I am very pleased Taylor Wimpey is being inclusive and consulting residents on such important issues - this bodes well for the future when we come to discuss the reserved matters for the proposed new town centre in more detail.”

A spokeswoman from the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company said that at the moment Princes Park was “runaway favourite” and the final decision would be “based on local community preference”.

This title will cover development mostly to the west of the A325, a 200-hectare area across Prince Philip Barracks, the Technical Training Area, Martinique House, Bordon and Oakhanger Sports Club and Hogmoor Inclosure.

The land, seen as ripe for development, will be freed up following the departure of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers who are currently moving to RAF Lyneham, and set to be completely gone by the end of this year.

The scheme will include the provision of 2,400 homes, a new town centre, a secondary school, leisure centre, an anchor supermarket and a new road over the next 15 years.

Full permission and funding for the road and work to Hogmoor Inclosure - which is set to become a large SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space) - has been rubber stamped. However only outline permission for the rest of the project is in place.

The detailed plans will be pieced together in phases, with the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company consulting the public on elements such as design, layout and material used over coming months.

And the door, it said, was always open. For any “community related enquiries” residents can contact community development officer Naomi Metcalfe on n.met

[email protected] or 01420 489060, or visit Martinique House, Hamp-shire Road in office hours.

To suggest a name, visit whitehillbordonregeneration.co.uk/competition.